Cashew nut shell, a waste from cashew nut production, could become a potential biomass feedstock for gasification. In this study, a complete parametric study of cashew nut shell was conducted in pyrolysis conditions that are relevant to industrial processes. The effects of temperature, heating rate and residence time on the shrinkage, char yield, char energy, as well as characteristics of cashew nut shell (ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon content, and heating value) have been deeply investigated. The study results suggest ideas for the development of advanced pyrolysis techniques to better control the char product characteristics, hence serving for multiple purposes, such as energy or activated carbon production.

Agricultural and forest residues are potential sources of renewable energy in various countries. However, the difference in characteristics of biomass resources presents challenges for energy conversion processes which often require feedstocks that are physically and chemically consistent. This study presented a complete and comprehensive database of characteristics of a wide range of agricultural and forest residues. Moisture, bulk density, calorific value, proximate and elemental compositions, as well as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin compositions of a wide range of biomass residues were analyzed. The major impacts of the variability in biomass compositions to biochemical and thermochemical processes were also discussed.